Just For This Moment
by 3Mindy3
Summary: PART 3 OF THE FIYERO SAGA! This follows my story "Couldn't Be Happier" so please read that and "What Is This Feeling?" first! Takes place between "As Long As You're Mine" and "Finale". Rated T for mild violence, so as not to offend.
1. A House Flying Through The Sky

**Ok! Third part is finally in session! Sorry it took so long to get up.**

**I have something serious to report...Fiyero in this story is very sick! Elphaba is worried SICK about him, though Glinda couldn't care less at this point, and only YOU can help him! Every time you press that button that reads 'review' and type a little message, it sends loads of medicine to help him! But if he doesn't get medicine...FIYERO WILL DIE ON YOUR WATCH! (OK I'M A LITTLE HYPER RIGHT NOW BUT I DO LOVE REVIEWS!)**

**Disclaimer: plain 'n' simple, I don't own Wicked!**

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_A House Flying Through The Sky_

Fiyero and Elphaba sat on their knees in the forest, not daring to let go of each other. Fiyero stroked her hands with his own, and occasionally pressed a kiss on them. Her hands had always fascinated him. Her glossy black hair and green skin was bathed in moonlight which took Fiyero's breath away. He looked up from her hands to meet her eyes; he once more saw sadness in them.

"I just wish…" she began.

"What?"

"…I wish I could be beautiful for you." She said quietly looking down at her emerald-colored hands.

Fiyero felt a pain in his heart as he heard he say this. He only wish there was some way to convince her of how truly beautiful she was. He caressed her cheek with his hand.

"Elphaba…" he began.

"Don't tell me I am! You don't have to lie to me…" she interrupted while pressing her cheek closer to his hand.

"It's _not _lying!" Fiyero said firmly placing both hands on her cheeks.

"It's looking at things…another way." He said with as slight smile. He could tell something else was troubling her. Glinda, she was feeling guilty for betraying her. Fiyero knew how conflicted she felt, even though he was overjoyed to have her in his arms, he couldn't help but feel remorse for hurting someone he cared about.

"Someday you and Glinda will make up…" I told her reassuringly before she shushed me loudly.

She looked towards the eastern sky with a much focused look on her face, she wasn't even blinking. "Listen…" she whispered still focused on the eastern sky.

Concerned, I put a hand on her shoulder.

"Did you hear that?" she murmured, still never blinking. "It sounds like someone is in pain…" she was starting to frighten him.

"It's just the wind." Fiyero told her reasonably, trying to soothe her.

"My sister's in danger." She said in a horrified low voice.

Her sister? He recalled her having a sister at Shiz named Nessarose, the last thing he had heard about her was that she had been named the governor of Munchkinland. How could Elphaba know she was in danger?

"How do you know?" Fiyero asked her in surprise.

"I don't know…I just-" she began before she let out a horrifyingly loud gasp.

Fiyero was terrified at that moment, his heart pounded as he looked at Elphaba for any sign of physical pain. She stood up quickly, her face seemingly transfixed on something he couldn't see flying through the sky.

"There! Don't you see it?" Elphaba asked her eyes wide in fear as she pointed to the east.

"It doesn't make any sense!" she wailed. "It's a house…but it's flying through the sky!" She stayed in that spot for a moment. Fiyero's heart pounded in his ears. What was Elphaba seeing that he couldn't? He came behind her and placed his hands on her hips trying to calm her down. She suddenly whipped around to face him her eyes wide with panic.

"I have to go to Nessa." She cried as she dashed towards her broom

_"NO!" _was the only word that came to Fiyero's mind. There was no way that she was going to run off with out him, he had just found her after years of searching for Oz's sake! Fiyero grabbed her wrist to keep her near.

"I'll come with you." He said firmly, never wanting to let her out of his sight again.

"No! You mustn't, it's too dangerous!" she said to him.

Fiyero thought she was being quite selfish. She won't let him run off and do something dangerous but she expects him to be fine with her doing something dangerous! Did she even have any clue how broken he would be if anything happened to her. No, he wasn't going to lose her a second time.

"Listen, my family has a castle in Kiama Ko." Fiyero stated to her. "No one is ever there except the sentry's that watch over it, we've _never_ lived in it."

"Where _do _you live?" she inquired.

"Umm…the other castle." he answered feeling slightly embarrassed. If this was the only way to keep her safe, then so be it.

"It's the _perfect _hiding space, tunnels, secret passage ways...you'll be safe there." he managed to choke out, my voice catching at the end.

Fiyero placed a hand on her green cheek and she placed hers over it. He could read in her eyes that she did not want to leave as he lightly stroked her skin with his thumb.

_"Don't leave me." _Fiyero thought as they shared a moment of silence.

"Will we see each other again?" she said softly as unshed tears gathered in her eyes.

"Elphaba," he said sincerely, "We are going to be together forever. You can see houses _flying through the sky, _why can't you see that?" he said without a doubt in his mind. After everything he had been through, there was nothing in Oz that could stop him from protecting her.

Before letting her leave him once more, he pulled her face in for a passionate kiss. Why did it feel like it would be our last? With one last look of sorrow, Elphaba dashed towards the East, broom and hat in hand.

_"Nice try Elphaba, I'm not letting you get away that easily." _Fiyero thought ironically. He gave her a five minute head start before following her path. He could sense danger, and when it came about, he would be there to rescue the women he loved…no matter the cost.


	2. Let The Green Girl Go

**Ok this chapter is pretty long but most of it is direct quotes from the cat fight scene in "Wicked" (now for all of those lawyers clicking their pens to begin writing a lawsuit, check out the disclaimer!)**

**Reviews=happiness, Happiness=wanting to write more, Wanting to write more=Fiyero living on! You+Review Button= one happy Mindy! (seriously guys review m'kay?)**

**DISCLAIMER: No I don't own "Wicked", or Elphaba, Glinda, and Fiyero. Some lines in this story (I think you'll know which ones) are taken from the musical but I DO NOT OWN THEM! **

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_Let The Green Girl Go_

Fiyero trudged down the path through the treacherous woods, careful not to make a sound that might warn Elphaba that he was following her. He kept a safe-distance at all times and was thankful she decided to go by foot because the destination wasn't terribly far. Occasionally she would stop and look behind her shoulder; he suspected it was out of habit of being on the run all of these years, alone, constantly living in fear. He imagined himself living this forest, hiding, without someone to hold close and say it would be all right, he wished that he could have been there for Elphaba all of those lonely years. It doesn't matter; he was going to make up for lost time

After about another hour of frantic traveling, Elphaba at last reached a clearing and Fiyero's jaw dropped as he could make out a house centered in the middle of the ground. Elphaba had been right. He could hear faint voices coming from the clearing but because of the distance he couldn't make out the words. He could vaguely make out Elphaba's pointed hat through the darkness, and somehow he could tell that she was seething with rage. It was then that he heard a very familiar voice.

"Yes you just take that one road the whooooole tiiiiiiiime!" Glinda shouted after someone he couldn't see.

He could see Elphaba's shoulder move up and down, as if she was trying to calm herself down by taking deep breaths. He wished he could see what Glinda was doing that was causing his Elphaba to react this way, deep in thought he almost hadn't noticed Elphaba walk out onto the clearing.

"What a touching display of _grief!_" she spat at her friend.

Fiyero decided to move in closer to see what was going on, so he quietly walked over to the spot that Elphaba had previously been standing, making sure to lurk in the shadows.

"I don't think we have any thing further to say to one another!" said Glinda when she heard Elphaba. Fiyero was slightly angry that Glinda would talk to Elphaba that way.

"I wanted something to remember her by, and all that was left of her were those shoes…and now that WRETCHED LITTLE FARM GIRL HAS WALKED OFF WITH THEM!" Elphaba screamed. Fiyero, who had been confused at first, suddenly realized what had happened. He felt sick as the horrible truth dawned on him; Elphaba's sister had been crushed by the house.

His heart hurt for Elphaba, it was all he could do not to dash into the clearing and take her into his arms and tell her it would be ok. After everything she had been through the past few years, now she has to cope with the grief of losing her sister as well.

"_How much more grief could Elphaba manage to endure before something bad happens?"_ Fiyero thought to himself.

"So I would appreciate some time, alone, to say goodbye to my sister." She whispered. Elphaba kneeled before the house and put her face in her hands.

"Nessa please…please _forgive _me." She wept quietly.

Fiyero couldn't take it anymore, he was just about to reveal himself to Elphaba and hold her in his arms, to tell her it wasn't her fault and that she still had him, until he realized Glinda hadn't left yet.

"Elphie! Don't blame yourself! It's dreadful, it is, to have a house fall on you…but accidents _will _happen!" said Glinda softly, trying to get Elphaba to calm down. It had the opposite effect.

"AN _ACCIDENT_?" Elphaba bellowed at her small friend.

"Well…I wouldn't call it an _accident-_" Glinda began.

"Then what _would _you call it?" Elphaba spat.

"Uh…a regime change, caused by a bizarre an unexpected…twister of fate!" Glinda said trying to think fast.

"You think cyclones just _appear _out of the blue?" Elphaba began to rant.

Fiyero watched as the two most important women in his life began to bicker. Though he still cared for Glinda as a friend, he was livid at her for speaking to Elphaba in that way. It wasn't her fault that he had gone with her, she tried everything to have him turn back for Oz-sakes! He felt it was fault that Glinda was so mad, but she shouldn't take out her feelings on Elphaba who was in mourning.

"And just what exactly have _you _been doing? Besides flying around on that filthy old thing!" Glinda spat back gesturing to her broom.

"Well…not everyone can come and go by _bubble!" _countered Elphaba. Fiyero resisted the urge to laugh, Elphie was so clever.

"Whose invention was that? The Wizard's?" Elphaba cackled. "Even if it wasn't I'm sure he would still take _credit _for it!"

"It seems a lot of people are taking things that _don't belong us aren't we?" _Glinda finally said in a low voice.

Oh no, here it is. Fiyero knew this was going to come up sooner or later, but he really wanted to avoid this. In fact, this was precisely one of the reasons he wasn't sure how to break up with Galinda at Shiz, because of a cat fight.

"Now you just wait one clock-tick." Elphaba began slowly. "I know it may be difficult for that blissful, blonde _brain _of yours to comprehend that someone like _him _could choose someone like _me…_but it's happened! It's real, and you can wave that ridiculous wand all you want and it won't change anything! He doesn't love you, and he never did, he loves _ME!" _screamed Elphaba as she rushed towards Glinda. Everything she had said was true, though it sounded harsh to Glinda. Fiyero was starting to feel guilty about Glinda until she did the unthinkable. She slapped Elphaba right across her beautiful green face.

"_How dare you!" _Fiyero thought furiously. How dare she slap his Elphaba, he felt like slapping _her _right across the face but Elphaba had beat him to the punch.

After being slapped, she let out a earsplitting cackle and asked "Feel better?"

"Yes…I do!" said Glinda smugly.

"Good!" Elphaba said before slapping Glinda even harder in the face so that she spun around.

He couldn't say that he wasn't impressed as he also made a mental note not to upset Elphaba. Suddenly he watched as the two girls went into fighting stances, Elphaba held her broom ready for combat and Glinda held her wand the same way. Elphaba lunged at Glinda, forgetting her broom and Glinda tore her hat off her head. He watched as the scene unfolded until…_"NO!" _Fiyero shouted in his mind.

He watched in horror as his fears came true. Half a dozen Gale Force guards had sprinted into the clearing and seized Elphaba.

"I'm sorry it took so long to get here miss!" said one of the guards, addressing Glinda.

"_Glinda did this?"_ Fiyero thought, not believing that it could be true. Glinda, of all people, the women who he grew to love like as sister would sell out Elphaba to the guards? There was one thing he knew for sure…all of this was his fault. Glinda never would have done this if he had stayed with her in the castle.

"_I'm so sorry Elphaba; I swear I'll make this right!" _Fiyero thought.

One of guards stood in front of Elphaba, pointing a spear to her head as she struggled to release herself from the hold one of them had on her. However, despite the terrifying situation, she only glared at Glinda.

"I can't believe you would stoop this low!" Elphaba said in a powerful sounding voice. "To use my sister's death as a trap to CAPTURE ME?" Elphaba cried out to her former best friend.

Glinda began to deny it but all of the guards were in a frenzy. He had to think of something…fast! Fiyero went over all of his options, but he knew only one would prevail. To save Elphaba, he would have to put himself in the line of fire. He realized that he didn't even need a clock-tick to think it though, he grabbed a rope that had been hanging from a tree and without hesitation swung into the clearing.

"Let the green girl go." Fiyero said in a deadly serious voice.


	3. I Have No Regrets

**Ok, this chapter is kind of a shorty but here you go anyway!**

**I'm feeling pretty uncreative today so I'm just going to come right out and say it, I had to force myself to type this chapter today. Yup, I have hit that wall, it's gonna be harder to motivate myself to update in a timely manner so please please please review! (xFroggyFernyCabbagx, you know what I mean right?)**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Wicked, Fiyero, Elphaba, Glinda, or the bubble she flies in. If I did, I would rule the world!**

**(OH! BTW, I decided to put in some first person Fiyero in this story, it wasn't a mistake. I put italics on that paragraph too)**

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_I Have No Regrets_

"I SAID LET HER GO!" Fiyero yelled furiously as he pointed his gun to a guard members head. He had recognized him from his time in the guard and had forgotten his name, it didn't matter any more, he would pull the trigger without any hesitation should he not obey his command.

"Let her go or…" Fiyero suddenly had an idea he knew would succeed, but it would break his heart to do it. He swiftly turned his gun to point at Glinda's head.

"Or explain to all Oz how the Wizard's guard watched as Glinda the Good was slain!"

"Fiyero!" she said in a terrified whisper, her eyes growing wide and watery. He hated to do this, to frighten her so, but he would stop at nothing to save his Elphaba.

"Let her go." he repeated in a simple tone that said 'don't make me do this'.

The guards considered this for a moment then they finally decided that they couldn't let Glinda die on their watch. They released Elphaba from their grasps with a hard shove; Fiyero felt he could shoot them just for that.

Fiyero didn't hesitate for a moment; he dashed towards Elphaba's broom and tossed it to her.

"Elphaba, _go now!" _he demanded towards his love.

"NO! Not without you!" she cried, they both exchanged a look of pain and Glinda began to say something.

"HUSH NOW!" Fiyero bellowed at his ex-fiancé, he hated to be hurting her but desperate times call for desperate measures.

"GO!" he shouted at Elphaba again, trying to fight off the lump that was growing in his throat. She was leaving again, just like the day she went to the Emerald City, and he couldn't bear it. He would choose to die over a life without her.

"Do it!" Glinda finally said towards her friend as she tossed her the black pointed hat she had given to her many years ago. Back when things were simple.

Elphaba shot Fiyero a devastated look, and though it destroyed her to do it, she ran out of the clearing and flew west.

_"Good, at least I can die knowing that Elphaba is safe from any more damage I could cause her." _Fiyero thought as he tried to not let tears build, this was the time to keep his defenses up. He understood that now that Elphaba was out of sight, he needed to stall long enough for her to get away. He knew at least six guns were pointed at the back of his head that moment, one of them would eventually claim his life.

He turned around and pointed his gun to the guards, who backed away at once. He then pointed it back to Glinda's head which caused the guards to take aim once more. At last, he understood that he could never shoot Glinda, it was time to surrender. He finally lowered the gun to his side, accepting defeat.

"SEIZE HIM!" That clock-tick, several hands grabbed his shoulders and he felt himself being yanked back. Glinda began to frantically scream for them to stop but they didn't halt.

"IN THE NAME OF GOODNESS STOP! Don't you see? He was never going to harm me he just…he loves her." She said sadly while meeting Fiyero's gaze.

"Glinda I'm so sorry." He told her sincerely, knowing he was going to die. He at least wanted to pass away on good terms on the girl who he had become so close to.

"Take him out to that field there!" one of the guards bellowed, not paying attention to Glinda. Fiyero felt a shiver go down his spine as he realized they weren't just going to shoot him and make it quick…they were going to take their time killing him. As they dragged him out to the field, the put his arms over a post that made him appear to be a common scarecrow. He could hear Glinda screaming as he entered the cornfield.

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_**(**_**changes to Fiyero's POV_)_**

_I felt a hard blow to my stomach as one of the guards kicked me with a grin. I remembered the day I almost ran over Elphaba in my cart…how she yelled at me._

_I heard a crack as another punched my nose with great force. I remembered the day we saved the lion cub together…how our hands touched._

_I felt a blow to my head as a guard slammed it against the post. I remembered the day I saw her off at the train station…how she looked confusedly at her poppies._

_As blood streamed down my face, I was aware I was being tied to the post. I remembered the day she didn't return from the city…how my heart broke._

_My vision became blurry from the physical pain as the guards laughed at me and congratulated each other. I remembered the moment I locked eyes on Elphaba for the first time in so long at the palace…how I knew I couldn't let her leave me again._

_My world began to darken slightly as my body weakened. I remembered how we knelt in forest just hours ago as we expressed our undying love for each other…how it was the happiest moment of my entire existence._

_I felt one last blow to my head. I remembered the pained look on her face as she left the clearing without me…how it killed me to watch her leave._

_"I have no regrets." I thought before the world went black._

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**__****HELP ME! I'M STUCK IN THE WORLD OF WRITERS BLOCK *****attempts to get out of writers block world but fails* Don't worry, I'm not giving up on the story, I have half of the next chapter written I'm just kind of stuck! Reviews help me soooooo much!**

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**_REMEMBER! You don't have to tell me I messed up on the POV, it was on purpose so it would have more power, that is why it is in italics. _I'm sorry for the occasional third person to first person typo though, I'm an active member in an RPG forum where we all speak in first person and sometimes I type while posting on that so I get confusified. I'm working on editing those errors, but the last paragraph IS supposed to be first person!**


	4. Something Has Changed

***breaks down brick wall* AT LAST! THE WALL OF WRITERS-BLOCK HAS BEEN DESTROYED!**

**Here is the next installment of my story "Just For This Moment" and I apologize for taking so long to update! I'm sure many people can relate, writers block can really get to you :( **

**BUT NOT ANYMORE! _I'M BACK! _Only 2 chapters left after this! **

**_**THIS CHAPTER IS DEDICATED TO_ Elphaba wannabe _FOR LEAVING ME A LOVELY COMMENT ON MY LAST CHAPTER THAT INSPIRED ME TO KEEP WRITING! THANK YOU! I AM defying gravity and no one can bring me down, thanks to you! :D**_**

**Disclaimer: *admits she doesn't own Wicked* *is sad***

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_Something Has Changed_

Fiyero's head felt as if it were spinning as the world grew darker and darker. He tried to grasp hold of reality but failed miserably. He could hear various voices here and there but he couldn't make out who was speaking. He felt as if his body was floating in water, except he was perfectly dry. The voices and noises got louder. A train whistle, a lion's roar, a voice screaming his name…_a voice screaming his name? _Fiyero listened as hard as he could in his dazed state, barely audible he could barely make out the sound of Elphaba's voice.

"FIYERO!" he could hear her cry. She sounded like she was hurting, whether or not it was physical or emotional Fiyero couldn't be sure. The noises got louder…he could hear the three noises, the whistle, the roar, and Elphaba's cry echoing in his head in a mix. He knew he had died, his body felt light, it seemed as if his feet were not touching the hard ground, and he felt no pain.

_"Death is peaceful." _thought Fiyero.

"FIYERO! Elecka namen…FIYERO! Namen, a tum FIYERO! A tum, eleka FIYERO!" he heard soft chanting of words he could not understand in between Elphaba screaming his name. The sounds got louder and louder until it sounded as if she was directly next to him, shouting at him. No, it was as if she was inside his mind, attempting to protect him from harm. He wanted to tell her he was fine, that death was painless…but if death was painless why was he cursed to hearing Elphaba's cries of grief…this could not be death!

Fiyero's eyes snapped open in an instant. The bright sun nearly blinded his eyes, but once they adjusted confusion set in. He was high off the ground, looking upon rows and rows of corn, past the corn he could see the yellow brick road shining under the sun. As his senses set in, he realized he could see things and he could hear things, and yet he could not feel a thing. He could not sense what was keeping him above the ground.

_"What has happened to me?" _was the only thought that Fiyero could create.

He looked to the side to see his arm, attached to a pole. His eyes then adjusted and he could see straw sticking out of his sleeve. He spent a few minutes trying to loosen the ropes that kept him fettered to the pole, but it was useless. It was almost as if he was being made to look like a common scarecrow. It was then that the horrible truth dawned on him…he was a scarecrow.

Elphaba. It had to be her, who else could have had the power to inflict such a dramatic change? Without warning, he began to chuckle. He couldn't understand the reason he had began to laugh lightly but soon enough it transformed into a roaring laughter.

"_Oh Elphaba, is there anything you can't do?"_ he thought through a clouded brain. As he tried to control his maniacal laughter, he decided to try to decipher his emotion. He felt as if he had gone quite mad. What was he feeling? Greif? Frustration? Confusion? Anger?

Anger at Elphaba? _No_, he decided he was not angry at her. How could he be? Some odd force of magic she had cast had turned him into a scarecrow, yes, but also saved his life. Somehow he knew that Elphaba had not known the outcome of her enchantment, and if she had known it would reach this outcome then it must had been the only option. Become a scarecrow or die. In fact the only emotion he felt towards her was deep gratitude. He wished he could tell her.

He suddenly stopped laughing madly at Elphaba's clever trick and became worried. Why wasn't she here? Where was she? Did she even _know_ that he was alive, or at least half-alive?

He struggled against the bonds that held him to his wooden pull, but to no avail. He was trapped in the body of a scarecrow and he had no where to go. He knew one thing for sure though; he would find Elphaba and tell her that he was alive. No matter the cost.

He suddenly heard footsteps on the road of yellow brick. His head snapped up to see a simple Munchkin farmer making his way down the road.

"Good morrow traveler!" Fiyero called out, desperate for news. He was pleased to hear that his voice had not changed a bit. The Munchkin looked startled to see a talking scarecrow but it was obvious that he didn't want to appear rude.

"Good day to you as well, what do you need?" He inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"What news is there on the Wicked Witch of the West?" Fiyero called out to the stranger. He made a mental note to apologize to Elphaba for using her horrid title later.

The Munchkin's eyes grew wide and he looked excited to spread the latest news.

"Oh good scarecrow she is a horrid beast! She seems even worse than ever! Why, just earlier today, right here in Munchkinland, she appeared and terrified a small girl who fell from a star! Now she swears revenge on the poor child, saw it with my own eyes! When will Oz ever see peace from her wretchedness?" he inquired with a shake of the head.

Fiyero clenched his teeth and controlled his anger towards this Munchkin. _How dare he judge her? Does everyone simply believe everything nasty lie they hear about her? _Despite his anger, the Munchkin gave him hope. Elphaba had been nearby, which means she is unharmed.

He nodded in response to the horrible Munchkin's question. "Indeed. Thank you, you've been very kind." _Now get out of my sight. _The Munchkin smiled and nodded, tipping his straw hat to him as he departed.

Hours past and he grew quite weary. He tried to sleep to pass the time, but he found that in his new state, sleep was no longer necessary for survival. He understood that this was a dire situation, but he couldn't help but complain to himself of his boredom. He tried to find ways to entertain himself, finding shapes in the clouds, humming songs, even counting rows of corn just to pass the time. At last he could distract himself no longer, and he mind turned to Elphaba.

She was grieving. She was grieving _his _death. Why else would she behave so recklessly? It worried Fiyero that she had no idea that he was alive and well in one way or another, and he had no idea what she was capable of under this much stress. A part of her must had died when he had been torn away from her; he knew the same thing would happen to him if he believed her to be dead.

He had to get to her, to ensure him that he was fine, to thank her, to ask her to run away with him and never look back. He would stop at nothing to get to her, now if only the universe could send him a sign.

It was at that moment that he was an anxious looking girl in a checkered blue dress walking down the yellow brick road with a small black dog at her side.

_Sweet Oz, the universe works in mysterious ways._

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**Like it? Hate it? Think I should stop writing forever? Tell the button! vvvvvvvvv**

**I would like to add that I'm not going to be writing the big long adventure Fiyero has with Dorothy, if you want to see that story go watch "The Wizard of Oz"! This is a Fiyerba story, so I'm going to skip some time and pick up around "March Of The Witch Hunters"**


	5. Wickedness Must Be Punished

**Hi...uh...remember me? I'm terribly sorry I haven't updated, I swear I tried writing this chapter multiple times! Sometimes the words just don't fit. Finally..._finally _the inspiration hit a few days ago. **

**Thank you for everyone who has reviewed and subscribed to this story, there is one chapter remaining after this one! I highly doubt that I will add another part that will be post-musical, but then again, this trilogy started out as a one-shot. Some people can be so gosh darned determined! ;)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Wicked or the Wizard of Oz though I wish I did! Except for Dorothy...they can keep her.**

**Oh, and I forgot to mention. Yesterday Vicki Noon, the first Elphaba I ever saw live _(WHO IS AMAZING BY THE WAY), _left the tour. Feeling kind of down about that...**

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Fire. It was the thing he had feared most as a child and now it was the one thing that could cause his demise. Those flickering flames that would devour him whole until he was nothing more than ash.

Fiyero sat far from the campfire, in fear of a spark coming in contact with his clothes. Being unable to sleep did not suit him well; it gave him too much time to think, too much time to reflect on the current situation, too much time to worry. He looked across the fire to the young girl who was sleeping against the lion they had recently met.

Dorothy was an odd girl; it was very difficult to figure her out. On the one hand, she was a terrified young person who was trapped in an unfamiliar place. On the other hand, she was very small-minded for someone so young. She seemed more than willing to accept that Elphaba was a terrifying monster, even though she had no evidence to support it. She was perfectly willing to trust the Wizard simply because the word 'wonderful' was in his title. He decided that she was either very gullible or just plain confused.

The wind shifted and Fiyero edged away from the fire until his back was against the trunk of a tree. The Tin Man looked up from the ax he was examining.

"Anything wrong?" he asked, narrowing his eyes slightly. Fiyero shook his head quickly.

"No nothing…just staying away from the fire, you know me!" he laughed nervously with a mindless smile. There was something oddly familiar about the Tin Man but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. The Tin Man nodded and looked back to his ax.

Fiyero practically glared at the embers as the flickered as the memory from before came back to haunt him.

He could still see Elphaba hurling a flaming orb of fire at him. He shuddered at the memory. It wasn't the fact that she had tried to hurt him, he could easily forgive her for that, and it was the fact that she could willingly hurt _anyone_ that disturbed him the most. He knew immediately by the way she looked at him that she had not known who he was, but he could also tell that she was a changed person.

It was as if her soul shattered, and the Elphaba he had fallen in love with was gone. Instead, there was a cold and lifeless shell that had taken the form of her. She was not thinking straight. Despite all of this, Fiyero couldn't help but still love her. He knew that deep down; his Elphaba was still there. Deep…_deep_ down.

He spent the rest of the night glaring at the flames as if they were to blame for his misfortune. He had to get to Elphaba…but how?

* * *

"_No_," was the only thought Fiyero could process as he watched the angry citizens cheer.

"It's time to take action!"

"Kill her!"

"Kill _it_!"

"Kill the witch!" various people screamed.

The angry crowd had gathered outside of Emerald Palace to await news from their savior from the vile wicked Witch. The Wizard announced that the little girl that fell from a star in Munchkinland would have the power to vanquish the wicked witch and restore peace to their land, according to some prophecy he undoubtedly made up. There wasn't a doubt in Fiyero's straw filled head that the Wizard saw the little girl and took advantage of the situation. How convenient that he needed someone to take care of his dirty work, and here comes an innocent girl with no knowledge of the past here in Oz? It must have been easy to fill her head with lies; he did it with an entire land after all.

Fiyero sat back and watched the scene unfold, he spotted Dorothy with a small group of people crowding around her, she looked nervous.

"Thank you so much for what you are doing for our world, young lady!" one man said.

"Thanks to you, our children can be _safe_ in this world!" another woman said, she seemed to be in tears of gratitude.

"You'll be _famous_!" another one chipped in. Dorothy's eyes were wide.

"Well I'm a little nervous…I've never wanted to hurt anyone!" she said, shaking her head and clutching her dog.

"Don't worry my dear, the witch doesn't _have_ feelings! She isn't even a real person, she was just a monster born here to instill terror onto the us!" one of them assured her.

"She terrorizes us day and _night_, we can't go anywhere anymore! They say that she killed her father with her _own bare hands_," the woman said fearfully.

"W-was her sister as bad as her?" Dorothy asked, remembering where she had gotten her shoes.

"Not much is known about the Wicked Witch of the East because she kept to herself in Munchkinland-" one started.

"She was _horrible_," came a cold voice from behind the group. The group parted to reveal the Tin Woodsman standing before them. Dorothy's lips parted in an 'o'.

"You knew her?" she asked with wide eyes. The Tin Man's eyes shifted for a moment.

"This is neither the time nor place, we need to focus on killing the _Western_ Witch, otherwise she will haunt us until we are dead," he said darkly before walking towards the podium.

Fiyero couldn't take listening to any of this anymore; he stormed away from the group, unable to listen to anymore. They were all out to kill her…spreading lies and blaming her for their problems was one thing but they were going to _murder_ her. He was so disgusted that if he was able to eat he probably would have thrown up by now. He stormed to the outskirts of the crowd, ignoring the calls of encouragement he received. He didn't want any part of this.

"Citizens!" he suddenly heard the Tin Man call. The citizens immediately gave their undivided attention to their proud assassin.

"This is more than just a service to the Wizard! I have a personal score to settle with Elph—with the WITCH!" he screamed.

Fiyero froze. Had he heard correctly? He looked around the crowd, no one else had seemed to notice, but he heard it loud and clear. The Tin Man was clearly about to say her name…he was about to say '_Elphaba'_. He immediately went towards the podium, standing behind it so the public wouldn't see him. How in Oz did the Tin Man know about Elphaba?

"It's due to her I'm made of tin, her spell made this occur! So for once I'm glad I'm heartless, I'll be heartless killing _her_!" the Tin Man shouted.

Fiyero clenched his fists, losing a few pieces of straw in the process. He knew her name and yet he was willing to kill her.

"AND I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE!" he shouted, his intensity increasing. I could tell the power was growing within him; people were listening to him, cheering him on. He turned to look behind him; Fiyero took a step back until he realized he was gesturing to the Lion. The Lion shook his head frantically, whimpering slightly, not wanting to talk to the public.

"Come on!" he insisted. He reached for his tail and tried to get him to come up the platform, the Lion continued to resist.

"Come on! Tell them what she did to you in class that day when you were just a Cub! And she CUBNAPPED YOU!" he yelled.

_"It couldn't be…"_ Fiyero thought to himself in horror. He looked to the Lion next to him who was now curled up in a ball, shaking with terror. Could the Lion they had been traveling with truly be the one that he and Elphaba rescued that day so many years ago? His head was reeling. Who was this Tin Man and how did he know about all of this? Part of him was tempted to look to the Lion and tell him the real story. How he took an equal part in the capture…after all…it was he who picked _up_ the cage in the _first_ place! This was outrageous; Elphaba was trying to _help_ the cowardly fool! If she had sat by, that Lion would be stuck in a cage unable to speak. Why must her good deeds constantly come back to haunt her?

"And the Lion also has a grievance to repay, if she let him fight his own battles when he was young he wouldn't be a coward today!" he yelled. The crowds cheered in agreement and the Tin Man stepped down the steps and looked at Fiyero.

"Go on, go speak! Tell them about how she threw that _fire_ at you!" he encouraged. Fiyero shook his head.

"You seem to know an awful lot about the _witch_! You say she turned you into tin?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. The metal man glared slightly and nodded.

"What, you think I was always this way like _you_? I used to be a simple Munchkin boy, studying at Shiz. I was in love with…er…_someone_ but I had to spend all of my time with the Wicked Witch of the East. She forced me to stay with her against my will, and then her sister came and turned me into…_this_! But she'll get hers…she'll _pay_," said the Tin Man with an evil grin.

…._Bick_! Fiyero could hardly believe it. This man…this man made out of tin was his _classmate_ at one point in time! Elphaba couldn't have turned him into this form…at least not on purpose. There had to have been some mistake.

His former classmate went up back to the podium to shout to his adoring crowd, enjoying it far too much. The crowd was equipped with torches and pitchforks, ready to destroy his Elphaba.

He had to do something…anything…he had to warn her. He looked around fearfully as he realized this crowd would stop at nothing until their wicked witch was in the ground.

He started to panic as he looked across the crowd, following Bick's line of vision. He blinked as the sunlight glinted against a sparkling tiara. Glinda stood across the way, looking mournfully across the cheering crowd. Madame Morrible was speaking to her and he could swear he could see Glinda's lip quiver.

…_Oh Glinda_…She was stronger than she let on. She certainly did look royal in her shining perfect dress and tiara; she got everything that she had ever wanted. She wasn't happy though, and Fiyero didn't like to see that. He sincerely hoped she would find what she was looking for and he wished her well.

"_Farewell Glinda the Good," _Fiyero thought before dashing away from the scene. He had an urgent message to be sent.


	6. Just For This Moment

**Thank you so much for being patient with my laziness and writers block-it's finally finished. I think I probably win the award of "Worst Updater", which I'm not proud about. It seems that I'm more eager to write during the school year than during the summer.**

**Again, thank you so much for reading this story and the ones before it, and I hope you didn't mind the many months between updates. It's actually really very difficult to seemlessly thread Wicked and Wizard of Oz plots together into one story.**

**MORAL OF THIS STORY- Beware of plot bunnies, for they are evil.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Wicked or The Wizard of Oz, but that didn't stop me from using quotes from both. Now that I've admitted it you're not allowed to sue me!**

**So, to the remaining followers of this story, please enjoy the very last installment of the Fiyero Trilogy! **

* * *

Fiyero found it almost comical that he and his group went to such lengths to break into his own home, but he wasn't really in the mood to laugh. He had only hoped that Elphaba was hidden safely in the castle and hand gotten his note.

His note…the one thing he was relying on. Ironic how that one scrap of paper could determine his and Elphaba's entire future. If there was one ahead of them at all. He had to write it in a hurry, afraid of the others becoming suspicious of him. As much as he despised their company, they were his only shot at getting to her.

At first he was at a loss of how to get it to her, but that all changed when he found a winged Monkey spying on them when Dorothy and the Lion were sleeping. He knew all about them, how Elphaba had been letting them take refuge in the castle with her. He wouldn't be surprised at all if the creatures were incredibly loyal to her.

When he caught the Monkey, the Animal's first instinct was to flee, but he had managed to stop it. He could tell right away that the Monkey had very little, if any, power of speech, but he seemed to understand him to an extent. The Monkey didn't seem to understand anything he was saying until he mentioned her name. Elphaba. The Monkey looked up, recognizing the name immediately, and nodded its head. Fiyero was thrilled, thinking he had made a breakthrough. The Monkey eventually decided to trust him and he took the note before flying off.

At the time he had been thrilled, but now he was starting to feel uneasy about the whole thing. What if the messenger dropped it on the way to the castle? There were countless scenarios in which his plan could have gone wrong, and if Elphaba had not gotten the letter than both of them were in serious trouble. The plan was not full proof, but it was his only hope.

Fiyero clumsily stumbled sideways as the Tin Man hit his shoulder to get his attention.

"What are you daydreaming about?" he asked exasperatedly. The Tin man had constantly been on edge since Dorothy was taken.

"Nothing, just about…finding the _witch_," Fiyero answered, not completely lying.

"Well you'd better pay attention because we're almost to the castle, we'll make her pay!" he said harshly.

The man made out of straw rolled his eyes. "I liked you better when you were singing to Dorothy," he muttered under his breath.

Trekking through the castle was frustrating, they had all stolen some Sentries uniforms which Fiyero knew was pointless because the Sentries were only crashing in the castle and had no intention of protecting the witch.

The Tin man, or Boq he supposed, was never without the determined and bloodthirsty look in his eye. The Lion was as frightened as ever, whispering comforting words to himself as he trembled and looked behind his shoulder. Both of them were scared to death when Elphaba kidnapped Dorothy, and Fiyero tried hard not to laugh at the situation.

All three of them jumped back as a tiny black dog scurried down the hall they were in and the Lion cowered in fear as they heard shouts echoing through the corridors. Dorothy came into view, her ruby slippers clapping against the stone floor as she ran towards her friends, nearly in tears.

"Come back here!" they all heard a voice screech as more footsteps were heard. Dorothy began to cry as she clutched on to the Lion's shaking body, but Scarecrow paid no attention to her.

She was there. She appeared to be seething with rage, clutching her broomstick in her hand tightly as black strands of hair fell in her face. She opened her mouth to speak when she caught sight of the Scarecrow staring at her. Her grip on her broomstick slackened a bit and they locked eyes for a split second. As the Tin Man and Lion were too busy looking after Dorothy the Witch and the Scarecrow had a silent conversation with their eyes. It would have been almost imperceptible to the others, but the silent nod that Fiyero gave Elphaba was more than enough convincing. The message had gone through.

Elphaba gripped her broom tighter and stood up straighter as her eyes hardened once more and darted to the other trembling bunch. Both of them understood that they had to keep up the act in order for the plan to go through.

"The last to go will watch the three go before her! And her little _dog_ too!" she said menacingly. It was enough to give her lover chills, she could be very convincing.

She looked up at the flickering torch above her and back to the group, lifting her broom up to ignite it with a sickening grin.

"How about a little fire, Scarecrow?" she said slowly, searching the Scarecrow's eyes. Fiyero did his best to look petrified, though he trusted her completely. It was almost a sad sight to see the broom he and her had flown on while escaping to the Great Giliken Forest that fateful night ablaze.

Dorothy began to scream as his sleeve caught fire and she looked around wildly. Fiyero caught a glimpse of remorse on the Witch's face as the flames licked the material of his shirt. Dorothy caught sight of a wooden bucket that was conveniently located right beside her and didn't hesitate to thrust the water onto his sleeve. Fiyero took a moment to breathe a personal sigh of relief that the fire didn't do any damage but that all changed when he heard a blood curdling scream.

He whipped around to see his Elphaba soaking wet, her face apparently contorted with pain.

"YOU CURSED BRAT! LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE!" she shrieked as smoke began to billow around the hem of her dress, beginning to engulf her. She began to cry out in pain in a manner so convincing it was all Fiyero could do not to run over to her.

He continued to remind himself that it wasn't real, she wasn't in any danger. He should have been relieved that the plan was working, but why did she have to be so convincing? The look of agony etched on her face was a little too much for him to handle so the Scarecrow turned his head to stare at the stone wall. The others were transfixed at the spectacle, relief and wonder glowing on their faces.

_Damn them. _

He wished it didn't have to be this way, why had there been so many obstacles? From the moment he grabbed her hand in the clearing, the path to winning her had been arduous. Here he stood, nothing more than a bundle of straw and material, and there she was, quite literally melting to the ground to avoid being hunted. But they still had each other, and somehow, he knew it would always be enough.

"She's dead!" he heard the happy shouts echo throughout the halls. He carefully looked back over to the spot she had been standing but saw nothing but her robes and a pointed black hat sitting on top.

As he and the others departed the hall in celebration, Fiyero could have sworn he heard something. Had he actually heard Elphaba's name being called out in a soft, weak voice or had he imagined it?

Well he knew one thing for sure; things weren't always what they seemed.

* * *

Straw legs carrying him as quickly as possible, Fiyero Tiggular dashed through the empty hallways of the castle. He could hear the sounds of cheerful celebrations even from the tall tower and it made him sick. It was all he could do to keep a straight face as he saw Dorothy off and pretended that he too was joyous about the latest "good news". The Witch of the West was dead.

That didn't mean Elphaba was.

He came to a screeching halt when he finally reached the tower and was met with a haunting silence. He could still hear her screams penetrate the air of this room and he had to shake his head to clear his mind of such thoughts. It was growing darker and the light was almost gone from the room, but he managed to find what he was looking for. The trap door.

He tried to bang on the flat wood of the door but it made very little sound.

"It worked!" he called out in a clear, loud voice.

The door flew open at once and she emerged from the darkness.

"_Fiyero_!" Elphaba said, unable to hide the relief and joy in her voice.

Fiyero said nothing, his overwhelming relief rendering him speechless. He immediately grasped her hands as tightly as he could with limp hands.

"Fiyero, I thought you'd never get here," she said, softer this time, looking up at him. Her face fell instantly as she finally really noticed his face and he could see the guilt already growing in her eyes. She hesitantly lifted her hand up but drew it back, unsure.

"Go ahead touch, I don't mind," the Scarecrow said quietly. She took the invitation and warily lifted her hand to caress the rough material that had replaced his skin. Her eyes hardened and she averted her gaze from his eyes, ashamed.

"You did the best you could," he said quickly, desperately not wanting her to push him away. "You saved my life."

She seemed to be struggling with what to say next, clearly still remorseful.

"Well you're still beautiful," she said, a faint smile gracing her face.

"You don't have to lie to me."

She paused before responding. "It's not lying…it's looking at things another way."

Fiyero stood and offered her his hand, helping her out of the trap door, both not speaking. The moment both of her feet were firmly planted on the ground he didn't hesitate to wrap his flimsy arms around her and pull her close to him. He felt her rest her chin on his shoulder and he heard her let out a deep sigh.

The two of them stayed like this until the sun had completely set in the west, both thankful that they more or less had each other again without the prying eyes of the world upon them.

Elphaba was the first to pull out of the embrace, giving the Scarecrow a sad look.

"We can never come back to Oz, can we?" she said, knowing the answer.

"No," he answered. She nodded, though it was difficult for her to accept.

"I just wish…"

"What?"

"I wish _Glinda_ could know…that we're alive-"

Fiyero shook his head firmly. "She can't."

He knew how much pain this would cause her, to leave her best friend behind. It was rather difficult for him to leave Glinda behind as well, but he knew that she was strong and that she wouldn't need either of them to fix Oz. It was he and Elphaba that depended on each other, or rather, he depended on her. He wasn't taking any chances anymore, not with Elphaba.

"Not if we want to be safe. No one can _ever_ know."

He looked over to the hat resting on the floor and he went to retrieve it. He studied his Elphaba's face, now bathed in moonlight, as he gently placed it upon her head and offered her his arm.

"Come," he whispered. She took one last longing glance out the window, looking out upon Oz as she listened to the faraway cheers echo through the darkness.

"A celebration throughout Oz," she whispered to herself. Fiyero briefly wondered what she had meant by that as she took his arm.

They both knew that difficult times were ahead of both of them, but they didn't let it bother them too much. Even if it was just for this moment, the two of them could breathe at last.


End file.
